Prisoners don't pay rent
by Zyrano
Summary: When Naruto for the first time demanded the Kyuubi's chakra as 'rent' for staying in his body he unwittingly offered the kitsune a deal. A deal the kitsune is going to take advantage of.
1. Chapter 1

Prisoners don't pay rent

Chapter 1: I didn't do it

Naruto opened the door to his dingy apartment still full of excitement. Not only had he managed to summon the boss toad Gamabunta, he had also successfully drawn on the bastard fox's chakra and tomorrow he would kick Neji's butt and become chunin. Even better yet; by his recollection he should still have one cup of miso ramen in his cupboard. Yes life for one Uzumaki Naruto couldn't be better at the moment.

Grinning he entered his apartment and kicked the door closed behind himself only to stop dead in his tracks, the happy grin wiped of his face. There lying sprawled out on his couch was what Naruto could only describe as a fox-person, a fast asleep and snoring fox-person to be exact. Said fox-person looked like a cross between a gorgeous woman and a fox. She had the basic human shape but was covered head to toe in fox fur, had nine bushy fox-tails sprouting from her backside and a fox's head with shoulder length white hair.

Naruto would've worried more over the number of tails this fox-woman had if not for one simple fact. Even while she was obviously not human she was absolutely gorgeous, flat stomach, generously sized breasts and long legs that seemed to go on forever. And she was wearing only a pair of Naruto's boxer-shorts and an old black T-shirt of his that barely covered her obvious female assets.

Shaking himself to stop staring Naruto spotted something sitting on the ground beside the couch. He took a step closer and recognized what it was that had drawn his attention. It was an empty cup of ramen the disposable chopsticks lying on the lid, specifically it was the cup of ramen he had planned to eat.

"YOU ATE MY RAMEN!!!" Naruto screeched at the top of his lungs.

The fox-woman jerked awake, flailed about for a moment, fell off the couch and landed on the floor with a dull thud. Moments later she regained her equilibrium took stock of the situation and jumped to her feet before getting into Naruto's face.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR GODDAMN PROBLEM? I WAS TRYING TO SLEEP!!!" She shouted directly in Naruto's face, inadvertently giving him a good look at her impressive teeth, which were long, very sharp looking and gleaming white.

But Naruto didn't back away no matter how dangerous these teeth looked, after all she had eaten his last cup of ramen. "YOU ATE MY RAMEN!" He yelled back.

"And you make such an uproar for something that didn't even taste well?" She demanded angrily.

"It was my last and I wanted to eat it!"

The fox reached up and started to rub her forehead as if to stave off an incoming headache. "Good lord above!" She exclaimed casting an exasperated look towards the heavens. "You've been eating this crap day in day out for over six years now and you're still not sick of it?"

"It's the only thing I can afford," Naruto mumbled looking down, but then his gaze suddenly snaps back up. "Hey, wait a minute how do YOU know what I eat?" Backing away. "Are you some kind of stalker?"

The woman gave him a truly incredulous look. "It's not like I had much choice in the matter."

"What do you mean? And who are you anyway?"

The incredulous look only intensified. "You still haven't figured it out?"

Naruto shook his head totally confused; if he knew some fox-chick, which he didn't, with a build like hers he was sure he would remember her.

"Why me? What have I ever done to deserve this?" she muttered walking back over to the couch and dropping onto the worn out cushions. "And here I thought the NINE tails were a dead give-away."

Naruto did a quick count; she indeed had nine bushy white tipped fox-like tails. The next happened fully automatic; he reached into his kunai holster pulled three of the throwing knives out and hurled them with all his might at the demon-fox-woman or whatever the hell she was.

With a startled yelp the Kyuubi dove off the couch and hid behind the backrest only fractions of a second before the knives could perforate her pelt.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM NOW?" She yelled from behind her cover.

"You're the demon fox!" Naruto yelled back while moving to side and pulling out more throwing weapons. "You're the reason my life has been living hell!"

He rounded the couch, the fox coming back into view and threw both hand full of sharp tools of death at his hated nemesis. But the demonic fox-woman was ready for his assault. She jumped back over the backrest as Naruto's weapons thudded into the wooden floor. Then with more strength than her lean frame should be capable of she picked up the couch and hurled the piece of furniture in Naruto's direction.

With a startled yelp of his own the boy dropped flat on the ground as the couch sailed over his head and smashed his gas-stove to smithereens. Before he could get back on his feet the demoness was suddenly lying on his back, pinning his smaller frame down with her own larger and heavier one. A small part of Naruto insanely reflected that under different circumstances he would have loved the feeling of a woman's breasts pressed against his back, but in this case and knowing the owner of said breasts he couldn't bring himself to enjoy the soft yet firm feeling.

He flailed around desperately trying to shake the half-naked fox-woman of his back. She simply grasped his wrists in her hands and held his arms straight out to the sides, inadvertently putting more of her weight on Naruto's back and thus increasing the area of contact between their two bodies.

"Will you calm down already!" she hissed into his ear. "If I wanted to raze this god forsaken village to the ground don't you think I wouldn't have already done so?"

Naruto paused his struggles for a moment to consider this. The fox, vixen or whatever the hell she is was acting quite unlike everything he would've expected; sleeping on his couch, borrowing clothes from him and subduing him after he attacked her instead of outright wiping him from the face of the earth. In fact the only outright evil thing she had done was eating his last cup ramen; something he wasn't going to forgive anytime soon.

"Okay," he ground out. "What do you want? And how did you get out?"

"You let me out!" There was definite amusement in her voice.

"I DID NOT!"

"Well okay, you didn't let me out directly, but you certainly gave me the means to get out whenever I want."

"I did not!" Naruto repeated, frantically thinking back to his only previous meeting with her.

"But you did," she chuckled, before turning serious again. "Look I'd rather talk to you face to face, so if I let you up do you promise not to attack again until after we've talked?"

"Yeah okay, get off of me!"

"Promise."

"What?"

"Look I know about everything that has happened to you since the moment I was sealed into you. I know that once you have given your word you will not break it. So until I get your word that you won't attack until after we have talked I'm not going to let you up!"

Mentally cursing a blue streak Naruto promised not to attack until after they had talked. A moment later she released her vice-like grip on his wrists, rolled of his back, got to her feet and then even offered him a hand up. He stared blankly at the offered hand noting the differences between her hand and his; her hand and arm up the her elbow were covered in dark brown almost black fur, her fingers were shorter more stubby and ended in blunt claws and she had rough leathery pads like a dogs on the palm of her hand and the tips of her fingers. Basically her hand looked like a dog's or rather a fox's paw with the toes elongated into fingers.

Ignoring the offered hand Naruto got up on his hands and knees and then sat down folding his legs lotus-style and glared at the fox-woman wearing his clothes. With a sigh she sat down facing him and also folded her legs lotus-style.

"So, what did you mean I let you out?" Naruto ground out.

"Exactly that," she responded calmly. "Remember when you appeared before my cage?" Naruto nodded. "Do you also remember what you said to me?"

"Yeah I told you to give me your chakra."

"Actually you said and I quote; '_Hey, you stupid fox! You're in my body and you owe me rent! So for payment, I'll take your chakra! You got that?!'" _She replied making a passable imitation of his voice.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Naruto demanded ire rising.

The Kyuubi smirked at him. "Don't you get it? Prisoners don't pay rent! You could have simply taken my chakra the moment you appeared in front of my cage, but when you demanded my chakra as rent and then took it when I offered it you made a deal with me. You basically turned from my warden into my landlord the moment you took the chakra and used it to summon that butt-ugly toad."

"B-but the seal. Ero-sennin would have noticed it when you broke the seal!"

The Kyuubi's smile only got bigger in response. "But there is nothing wrong with your seal! I'm still bound to you, the only thing that has changed is that according to our deal I can now come and go as I please. After all, a landlord cannot lock his tenants into their apartments like a warden could lock a prisoner into his cell. The only thing you can do is to try and kick me out!" She suddenly clasped her hands and made puppy-dog eyes at him. "Please kick me out!"

Figuring that kicking her out would probably mean breaking the seal which would definitely make this already bad situation even worse, Naruto shook his head resolutely. "Not gonna happen, stupid-fox!"

"Well it was worth a try," she said with a shrug and unclasped her hands. "But you should realize that until you free me from that seal I'm going to hang around you until you do!"

"What? Why don't you just leave?"

"Told you, I'm still bound to you. When you die I die and that would suck mightily. So I'm going to stick around and make sure you don't die until I'm free."

"And when I free you, you're going to destroy Konoha, aren't you?" Naruto accused thinking he had figured out why the demon was acting so strange.

"Actually no I'm not going to destroy the village. Why should I?"

"YOU ALREADY TRIED ONCE!" Naruto yelled making the kitsune lay back her ears.

"You're quite loud for a ninja, you know that?" She asked wriggling a finger in her right ear. "But if it gives you peace of mind; I promise, should you release me from the seal, not to destroy Konoha or harm it's inhabitants."

"I'm still not going to free you!"

Again she shrugged her shoulders. "Didn't honestly expect you to," she admitted.

"So why did you try to destroy Konoha in the first place?" Naruto asked after a pause in which he desperately had tried not to look at the fox's chest. "And why the hell are you looking like that, it's creepy!"

"Well shape-shifting isn't exactly easy and after twelve years … I'm a bit out of practice," she finish in a mumble.

"What? You're what?"

"I'm out of practice!" She snapped and glared at Naruto for making her say it out loud. "For the moment this is the best I can manage. Though I don't understand what your problem is." She ran had hands down her sides incidentally pulling the already taunt t-shirt even taunter across her bust, making Naruto fight to not let his gaze wander downward. "I think I got all the important parts right."

Naruto had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his gaze locked on her nose as the kitsune started to pose in front of him. _Ero-sennin is going to love her!_ Naruto thought with a shudder before steering his mind back to the question she hadn't answered.

"You still haven't told me why you attacked Konoha in the first place!"

The fox-woman stopped her posing and with real reluctance started to answer. "Well I actually ..." She stopped and sniffed the air. "Say is that gas I'm smelling?"

"Don't change the topic!"

"No, really. Try to smell it."

Still thinking the fox was trying to change the topic Naruto gave the air two quick sniffs, opened his mouth, closed it and sniffed the air again before getting to his feet. He could definitely smell gas. The Kyuubi also got to her feet and together they tracked the smell to the smashed stove. They shared a look.

"This is all your f-" Naruto started but was interrupted by the clicking of the relay of his fridge.

Naruto's fridge was old, in fact it was older than Naruto himself by a large margin. It barely got cool inside and he had long planned to replace it once he had enough money from mission payments. But D-rank missions only pay so much and with the chunin-exam so shortly after they had returned from the Wave-mission he hadn't had the time to buy a new fridge. Naruto knew from long experience that shortly after the relay clicked the compressor would start it noisy and fruitless battle to try and cool the interior of his fridge. More important, he knew, from having watched it when he was younger, that the compressor produced an ungodly amount of sparks while it was running.

He could see by the way the kitsune's eyes widened that she had come to the same realization. Naruto turned for his kitchen window took two running steps toward it and leaped. Beside him Kyuubi was doing the same. Both crashed through the windows at the same time, him going low and she high. Just as they cleared the windowsill the faulty compressor ignited the gas; the mixture of gas and oxygen proofed to be just right.

There was a deafening explosion, heat washed over them for a moment before they hit the ground and rolled to break their momentum. Getting to their feet the two of them looked at the destruction; all windows in a radius of 200 meters were destroyed, the entire kitchen wall was gone, flames were visible through all of Naruto's broken windows, bits and pieces of burning furniture, clothes and ninja equipment rained down around them. Twenty meters down the street to Kyuubi's left a large ball of fire hit the ground in a terrific crash, firefighters would later identify the remains as Naruto's fridge.

"You know," the kitsune started, impressed tone in her voice, "if this had been planned I'd say, impressive explosion!"

Naruto, covered in soot, gave the still half-naked kitsune, who was equally covered in soot, a hard look.

"I fucking hate you!"

* * *

A/N: This idea came to me this morning and then demanded to be written at gunpoint. I hope you like it. As always comments and reviews are welcome, but keep them constructive or at least civil. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Prisoners don't pay rent

Chapter 2

"I fucking hate you!"

"Oh my god!" The fox-woman gasped theatrically. "Naruto hates me, oh woe is me!"

"Shut up, just shut up!" Naruto ground out caustically. "I'm trying to think here!"

"Uhh," she crooned. "Far be it from me to disturb your precious train of thought, but you may want to hurry up. I can sense people approaching and I don't think they would appreciate seeing me here standing right beside you."

Eyes wide, Naruto strained his senses and did indeed detect several chakra-signatures coming closer very fast. _Probably ANBU trying to see what happened! FUCK!_

"Can't you go hide our something?" he asked desperately.

"Sure I could, but why should I?"

Naruto's felt his eyes widen even further in disbelief. "Are you for real? There are at least half a dozen ANBU on their way here and when they find you here there will be hell to pay and YOU ASK ME WHY YOU SHOULD HIDE?"

"Well actually it's a round dozen ANBU and just as many jounin and other assorted ninja coming in this direction," she informed him calmly. "But why should I do you a favor and hide when I can just as well stand here and watch the ensuing pandemonium? After all you haven't even asked me for my name; it's always stupid-fox or damn-fox with you!"

_I cannot fucking believe this! _"Okay, what's your name?"

She shook her head. "Say please."

"WHAT?!?" Naruto very nearly was having an apoplexy right then and there.

"Say 'Please, oh beautiful furred lady let me hear your wonderful name'."

Teeth grinding hard enough to be heard on the other end of the street Naruto forced out. "Please, oh beautiful furred lady let me hear your wonderful name."

"Well okay, but only because you asked so nicely. I'm Natsume Maya, it's a pleasure to meet you good sir."

That over Naruto waited for her to hide, but except for smiling faintly in his direction the fox-woman did nothing.

"What are you waiting for? Hide goddammit!"

"Tut tut, is that any way to speak to a lady?" Maya asked wagging a finger at him.

Whole body shaking with suppressed anger Naruto forced himself to say in his most even tone of voice. "If you could please hide yourself Natsume-san I would be forever grateful."

Smiling widely now Maya leaned forward and actually kissed Naruto on the cheek. "See that wasn't so bad, now was it?" She took a view steps back and suddenly vanished from sight. "See you later lover-boy," her disembodied voice whispered to him just as the first masked ninja landed a few meters from Naruto.

"Whoa kid," he exclaimed walking over to Naruto. "You decide to redecorate with explosive-tags, or what?"

Thinking back on it Naruto would come to the conclusion that punching an ANBU in the face might have not been one of his wiser actions but he had felt oh so much better after it.

* * *

Two hours later, after a long talk with the third Hokage about not taking out one's frustrations on other people and a half-serious sounding apology to the ANBU with the rabbit-mask for knocking three of his teeth out, Naruto entered the small dingy hotel-room the Hokage had been able to organize for him. A bed never once in his life had looked so enticing.

"I call dibs on the bed," a very familiar voice suddenly spoke up behind him.

"GAH!" His startled jump carried Naruto half-way into the room where he tripped over the low standing bed, rolled over the mattress and landed in a heap upside-down on the other side of the bed on the ground.

Maya standing in the door-frame actually had the audacity to clap. "You know that was almost impressive."

"I fucking hate you!"

"Yeah, you said that already." The kitsune replied sauntering into the room and closing the door behind herself.

"So what do **you** want here?" Naruto asked getting back on his feet. Giving Maya the once over, and definitely not lingering on her chest since ogling the fucking Kyuubi would be gross, he noted that all traces of their previous ordeal, the ripped and torn shirt, the soot in her fur as well the singed parts of her pelt, were all gone. "And how did you get cleaned up?"

"Oh, I visited a all day bath-house while the Hokage was chewing you out. I look good, don't I?" She asked doing a small pirouette. "And I'm obviously here for a good night of sleep."

Feeling his ire rising again Naruto had to fight to keep his voice calm as he asked. "How did you pay for that bath?"

"I used a low level illusion to make some twigs and leaves look like money, don't worry about it." She replied, waving a hand dismissively in his direction.

Moving over to the bed she tested the firmness of the mattress before pulling the blanket back and slipping in. After pulling the blanket back up she wriggled about for a moment before dropping her shirt to the ground beside the bed shortly followed by the shorts she had been wearing.

"Wha-what the hell are you doing?"

"I always sleep in the nude. Feels more natural that way, you know?"

"That's not what I meant! I meant what are you doing in my bed?"

He moved onto the bed to forcefully shove the irritating vixen out of it. Throwing the blanket of her nude body, ignoring the suddenly freely visibly white fur covering her generous bust and flat stomach, he made to push her over the edge. Maya of course had no intention of letting him do just that. During the ensuing impromptu wrestling match Naruto somehow managed to end up straddling her furred stomach while pinning her arms above her head.

Remembering her earlier feat of strength, throwing his couch, Naruto channeled chakra into his muscles to strengthen them, but didn't really expect it to be of much use. But instead of breaking his grip Maya laid still and looked him into the eyes.

"I didn't know you were the kinky type!"

_Ignore her, she trying to distract you!_ But that was easier said then done, as his sub-consciousness now reminded him of the fact he was straddling a naked female. A naked female who apparently could read his mind.

"Do you like what you see?" She asked in a throaty purr and started squirming underneath him.

Naruto locked his gaze on her face, desperately trying to ignore what the squirming was doing to her chest. _Don't look! Don't look! Don't look you dare to look down! Don't look! It's what the damn fox wants! Don't look!_ His eyes shifted downward for a single moment before snapping back up. _Fuck, I looked! Maybe she didn't notice?_ She had noticed; going by the wide grin on her vulpine face. _Okay, this has to end now!_

Leaning forward, almost touching noses with her, he growled. "Get out of the bed or I'll make you!"

He clearly saw the devious glint enter her eyes, immediately afterward a strange shiver went through her entire body; her face flattened becoming human, the fur on her body vanished, her fingers lengthened with the claws turning into nails and Naruto was quite sure her tails had also vanished.

"What do you think would happen if I cried for help right now?"

His eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

Instead of replying she sucked in a deep breath of air. Naruto barely managed to slap his hands over her mouth before she could scream for help. He really didn't want to think what would have happened had she managed to cry for help. Depending who came to her 'rescue' it was entirely possible they would have immediately lynched him.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked plaintively.

The answer was muffled by his hands that were still covering her mouth. "You're not going to scream when I lift my hands?" Naruto thought it only prudent to ask.

Maya shook her head, indicating that no she wouldn't scream. Slowly Naruto lifted his hands ready to slap them back over her mouth at a moments notice should it be necessary. Luckily it wasn't.

"I said, 'I already told you I'm sticking around until you free me.'"

"Yeah right like that's ever gonna happen. I'm not stupid you know. The moment I let you free you are going to destroy the Leaf."

"I already gave you my word that I wouldn't do that!"

"Yeah right, as if **your **word is worth anything!"

The change in her expression was startling. Naruto had barely finished speaking when suddenly all traces of playfulness were wiped of Maya's face like they hadn't been there in the first place. Slowly changing back into her humanoid fox form Maya gave Naruto a truly neutral look.

"Please get off me. The bed is large enough for both of us, you can have the other half. I won't bother you anymore," she told him sounding as neutral as she looked, betraying no emotion either way.

Startled by her sudden change in moods, Naruto got off her stomach and watched her covering herself with the blanket again before turning around onto her side facing away from him. Wondering what the hell he had said to warrant such a reaction the blond genin started to get ready to go to sleep himself, the whole time keeping an eye on the kitsune to make sure she did not steal a look at him in his boxers. He needn't have bothered; Maya kept lying on her side of the bed, completely ignoring him.

* * *

An hour later Naruto was still awake, the uncomfortable silence nearly driving him mad. When he had first seen her, she had been sleeping sprawled out and snoring on his couch. Now the only sounds coming from her was her almost silent even breathing and the whole time she hadn't even so much as twitched a single muscle.

"Hey, um Maya," he started unable to stand the silence any longer, "you still awake?" No reaction. "You still haven't told me why you attacked the Leaf twelve years ago."

He was about to give up, thinking she was really asleep, when she finally answered. "I don't want to talk about it?"

"And why not? Don't want to talk about your failure to wipe out some pathetic human village?" No bitterness there, no sir.

"No, I don't want to talk about it because I **know** you don't want to hear it."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I wouldn't want to know it if I were in your place."

"Then it's a good thing you aren't in my place!"

He heard a short humorless chuckle come from her side of the bed before she spoke again. "Okay, but don't say I did not warn you.

"The first thing you have to know is, there actually is no nine-tailed demon beast. There never was. There are only eight tailed beasts going from the one-tail to the eight-tail. The nine-tail was a gag my great-great-grandfather, a kitsune like me, came up with when he gained his ninth tail. He thought it would be great fun to change in to a mountain sized fox and scare the shit out of some humans. Since then it has turned into somewhat of a tradition for every kitsune who just gained his or her ninth tail to change into the 'Kyuubi' and scare some humans.

"The second thing is, the Leaf is actually my home. I have lived here even before there was a Hidden Village of the Leaf. While the history books speak of Hashirama Senju asking the woodland spirits for permission to found a village here, it was actually me he was talking to.

"Now twelve years ago after almost 5 decades of hard work I finally gained my ninth tail. The other kitsune decided to stage the party in the Valley of the End. So I went there and as is the tradition changed into the 'Kyuubi' to scare a border patrol into soiling themselves. After that we partied for almost a week straight. By the end I was so shit-faced drunk that I was barely able to look straight ahead not to mention walk in a straight line.

"As I said I lived here in the Leaf, so after the party came to an end I made my way back here to sleep of my inebriation, never once noticing that I was still in my 'Kyuubi' form. When I neared the village the ninja thought I was going to attack and decided to try and head me off. I was too drunk to realize that those attacking ninja actually were actually from the Leaf so I defended myself and the rest is as they say history," she finished with a sigh.

For a long time neither of the two said anything. Eventually, incredulity coloring his voice, Naruto just had to ask. "So my life has been living hell because of a prank gone too far and because you were drunk?"

"Yeah, basically."

* * *

A/N: I actually wrote three more or less different versions of this chapter before I finally settled on this version. In the first version the third Hokage saw the explosion from his office, hurried over to the remains of Naruto's apartment where he found both Naruto and Maya and then dragged them to his office, so they could explain what happened. In the second version much the same happened only that Maya used an illusion to stay hidden until they reached the Third's office, where she revealed herself and then had to fend of the third Hokage who was determined to turn her into a fancy rug destroying most of his office in the process. Both of these versions lost their momentum way too fast and somehow ended up being too serious, so I scraped them and wrote this version.

Next time we will see Naruto's very different reaction to Neji's rant about fate.


	3. Chapter 3

Prisoners don't pay rent

Chapter 3:

Slowly, as the first rays of light began to fill the hotel room, Naruto began the arduous task of waking up. As he did so he idly reflected that this dingy run-down hotel had the most incredibly comfortable pillow he had ever encountered. The pillow was soft yet had just the right firmness to it to ensure absolutely heavenly rest. The soft steady thumb-thumb he could hear only added to the comfort though the soft up and down movement was a bit annoying.

The heavenly pillow shifted slightly and Naruto still not entirely awake moved his had to push the pillow back into it's previous position. His hand encountered some strange fuzzy mound that seemed soft yet also held some kind of subtle firmness. He gave the mound an experimental squeeze. The whole bed seemed to suddenly shift and strangely the pillow seemed to hum with pleasure. He squeezed again, the hum returned this time almost a moan. Again he squeezed; realizing somewhere in the back of his mind that this probably wasn't a good idea.

"Gently, those are sensitive you know!" A voice gently admonished him after yet another squeeze.

Naruto felt his whole body stiffen with horror as he recognized the voice. An icy shower ran up and down his spine as slowly lifted his head from his resting place and looked directly into Maya's amber eyes.

"I didn't know you were so aggressive Naruto-kun," the kitsune breathed in a sexy seductive tone of voice. "Will I have to worry for my innocence?" She asked pushing herself a bit firmer against his Naruto's hand which he hadn't moved yet.

Realizing he was still inadvertently groping the kyuubi of all things Naruto jumped off the bed and away from the fox-woman.

"What are you doing?" He yelled leveling an accusing finger at her.

"Me?" She pointed at herself. "I've done nothing on the other hand YOU were the one molesting ME in my sleep."

"I did not molest you!"

"Then what exactly were you doing, hmm?"

He took a breath to answer but stopped himself, figuring that whatever he said the fox would probably use to embarrass him further.

"Forget it! I'm not talking to you." With that he gathered his clothes from yesterday and went into the bath to freshen up as well as try to get his jumpsuit at least somewhat presentable.

* * *

Twenty minutes later he was sitting at the hotel room's small table a cheap breakfast, thanks to the room-service, in front of him. Naruto had spent the last two minutes alternatively picking at his breakfast or glaring at Maya, now at least again wearing his old T-shirt and shorts, sitting opposite him at the table.

With a sigh the kitsune put her sandwich down and looked at Naruto. "Look, I'm sorry I screwed up your life -"

"I don't care!" Naruto interrupted.

For a few moments both lapsed back into silence with the only sounds being heard those of Naruto eating his own sandwich.

"How about a deal?" Maya suddenly asked producing a large elaborate scroll from somewhere behind her back and placing it on the table between them. "I give you this scroll and in return you accept my sincerest apology for unwittingly royally screwing up your life." She held up her hand as Naruto made to interrupt her again. "I'm not asking you to forget what happened. I'm asking you to give me a chance to earn your forgiveness and maybe in time my freedom."

"And why should I even want your help?"

"Well I know more about Konoha, it's clans and of course cool techniques than most ninja living here combined. Besides," she started rolling the scroll back and forward with one finger, drawing Naruto's attention back to it, "you still haven't asked me what's on the scroll."

"What's on the scroll?" Naruto asked, the dark scowl slowly vanishing from his features as possibilities began to swirl in his mind.

"A summoning contract."

His features darkened again. "I already have one!"

"Yes, but this one is cool." Maya assured him.

"I'm not going to summon no stupid foxes!" Naruto snapped.

For a moment Naruto saw anger flashing in Maya's amber eyes before she forcibly calmed herself and replied. "First off, there is no summoning contract for any kind of vulpine, neither normal foxes nor kitsune. Second," a wicked little smile appeared on her face, "I'm sure your mother would be devastated to hear her only son reject her family summons out of hand."

Before she so much had lifted the scroll an inch of the surface of the table Naruto had seized her wrist in a vice like grip.

"This is my mother's summoning contract?" Naruto demanded his cerulean eyes boring into Maya's amber ones.

"Yes."

"Why do you have it?"

"Stole it last night while the Hokage was chewing you out for decking one of the ANBUs." She replied flippantly before wincing at the increasing pressure of Naruto's grip. "Could you please let go of my wrist now? You're hurting me!"

For a moment Naruto considered actually breaking her wrist and then taking the scroll, but then quickly lessened his grip without releasing her wrist disgusted at himself for even thinking about such a thing.

"Thanks," she muttered as the pressure around her wrist lessened.

"Did you know my parents?"

"I knew your dad quite well. Your mother … well we weren't friends but we weren't enemies either. We … respected each other." She paused, giving Naruto time to think about what she had said. "So, do you want your mother's summing contract?"

"I already signed the toad contract and ero-sennin said you can only have one contract at a time."

"That's true, but once you sign this contract the one with the toads gets automatically annulled."

"And why should I do that? What can I summon with that contract anyway?"

"This is the summoning contract for the tiger clan. And you should sign it because tigers are fear inspiring predators while toads are just … just … icky."

"Icky?" Naruto repeated incredulous.

"Yes, icky. With their slimy skin an all those warts and … have you ever tried eating one?" A shudder went through her. "Believe me they taste worse than they look. Besides compared to tigers toads are just lame."

"The fourth didn't think so, after all he summoned Gamabunta to fight you and won!"

Maya frowned for a moment before replying. "True that, but had your mother been able to fight me with her tiger summons she could've subdued me without anyone having to sacrifice his soul to the shinigami."

Naruto's face scrunched up in thought. "If that's the case why are you giving me the contract?"

While she didn't show it, Maya was surprised at his question. It was easy, maybe too easy, to think that Naruto was just a dumb kid with unusually large chakra reserves.

With a sigh she replied. "Because I kinda owe it to you for screwing up your life and your mother really would have wanted you to continue the family tradition of summoning tigers." Then with a wry grin. "Besides now that I'm sober again even tiger summons won't be enough to beat me if I really mean it."

Naruto frowned then increased the strength of his grip around Maya's wrist again until she winced. "You don't look so tough right now." And slackened his grip again. "What's to stop me from breaking your wrist and simply taking the scroll?"

With a crooked grin Maya held up her other hand. Without warning the entire hand suddenly was wreathed in bright blue flames, hot enough Naruto could feel the heat on his face. "That's fox-fire, a magical flame I and I alone absolutely control. The flame can only be extinguished if I allow it to be. I can incinerate the scroll completely long before you've even finished breaking my wrist."

Naruto only half-listened to the threat. Most of his attention was on the bright blue flame surrounding Maya's furred hand, fur that wasn't burning or even smoldering under the intense heat of the flame. More so he couldn't feel any chakra going into the flame nor had he seen her use any hand-seals to create the flame.

"How about I sweeten the deal a bit for you?" Maya asked.

Turning his attention away from the blue flame Naruto asked. "How so?"

"I told you I'm very familiar with Konoha and it's clans. I know how Hyuuga fight and I know a way to easily beat each and every one of them. And I'm willing to tell you how to do it in addition to giving you that scroll."

"Is it humiliating?" Naruto asked, suddenly very eager.

"In a way it's using their own techniques against them. In other words, to a Hyuuga with their overinflated sense of pride and self-worth it'll be very humiliating."

"Deal!" Naruto exclaimed and finally released Maya's wrist to try and grab the scroll, but Maya pulled the scroll away before his finger could close around the rolled-up paper.

"Nuh uh!" Maya shook her head. "Haven't you forgotten something?" Naruto frowned puzzled. "You have to accept my apology and promise me to give me a fair chance to redeem myself."

"Okay." He tried to grab the scroll again only for Maya to pull it away again. "What?"

"Say it."

"Say what?"

"That you'll accept my apology and that you will give me a fair chance to redeem myself."

"Why is it so important for me to say that?"

"I've watched you for most of your life, I know that once you've given your word you **will not** go back on it. That's why I want you to spell it out for me."

"And what's going to stop you from going back on your word?"

For the second time that day Naruto saw anger flash through her eyes. Only this time it lasted longer and it took her visible effort not to jump across the table and tear out his throat. Naruto quickly filed that away for future reference under make sure not to do.

"As a kitsune my word binds me, going back on my word would mean loosing all my tails and becoming a nogitsune. To me that would be a fate worse than death. Even insinuating that I would go back on my word once given is one of most grievous insults imaginable. Don't do it again Naruto, just … don't do it again, okay?"

He nodded then took a deep breath and said. "I give you my word that I will accept your apology and will give you a fair chance to redeem yourself."

"In return I give you the summoning scroll of your mother", she handed the scroll over to Naruto, "and I'll give you my word that I'll tell you how to beat Hyuuga Neji in today's first bout of the third round of the chuunin selection exams."

Naruto looked at the scroll in his hands then back at Maya. "So how do I beat the bastard?"

"Let's finish breakfast first then I'll tell you, besides you're going to need the energy!"

* * *

"Don't worry about little old me!" Naruto mocked glaring up at the kage box. "I'll be right were you can see me the whole time."

The focus of his ire was of course Maya the nine-tailed kitsune. Said kitsune wasn't just up in the kage box, were nobody besides the Hokage and the Kazekage as well as their bodyguards should be during this moment, no she was also sitting on the aged Hokage's lap one arm around his shoulders to steady herself and cheerfully waving at him with her other. All without anybody besides Naruto being the wiser.

The two leaders of their respective villages had of course by now noticed Naruto's glare and felt both somewhat unnerved by it if for completely different reasons. The Kazekage really Orochimaru in disguise wondered if the Kyuubi-brat had somehow seen through his disguise. The Hokage on the other hand was wondering if this had something to do with what had happened yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon just when he'd reached for his customary cup of tea said cup had suddenly cracked and split into two perfect halves. Normally Hiruzen wasn't someone to put any sort of faith in bad omens or the like, but his tea cup suddenly splitting into two perfect halves was still quite worrying. Than later that day Jiraiya suddenly pops into his office and proclaims himself the best teacher EVER, capitals actually being audible in that instance, for teaching Naruto how to access the demon-fox's chakra by, of all things, tossing the boy into a ravine. Another few hours later a fireball suddenly lights up the sky just as he'd been about to leave his office. A few minutes after that a group of ANBU drag a soot covered Naruto in his office explaining the boy had first blown his apartment to kingdom come and then decked one of the ANBU for making a smart remark.

Naruto's story of smelling gas just before the fridge's compressor ignited said gas smelled like the truth to Hiruzen just not the whole truth. But since nobody had been hurt and the place had been a rat hole anyway Hiruzen hadn't pressed the boy for the whole truth, though he definitely planned on doing so after the exams were over and done with.

And now instead of listening to the proctor for the matches making his opening speech Naruto was glaring up at the kage box or more specifically at him, or was he? Hiruzen leaned slightly to the side but as far as he could tell Naruto's eyes didn't follow his movement and stayed fixed on something in his immediate vicinity.

A tiny puff of air at his right ear made the aged Hokage swat in irritation at what he thought to be a small annoying insect. In response Naruto's glare gained almost laser like focus and intensity. The tiny puff of air came again and again Hiruzen tried to wave the 'insect' away.

No, he suddenly realized, the glare was directed at someone else; someone who was up here in the kage box with him and the Kazekage. Slowly Hiruzen looked around in the kage box trying his utmost to see what Naruto was seeing. While his every sense told him nobody besides himself, the Kazekage and their respective bodyguards were up here he couldn't shake the feeling there was something more going on. He felt something vague almost like amusement emanating from something or someone quite close to himself nagging him with it's familiarity that he couldn't place.

"Is everything alright, Hokage-dono?" The Kazekage inquired, having noticed Hiruzen's sudden scrutiny of his immediate surrounding.

"Yes, everything's alright." The aged Hokage lied. But nothing was alright, something was going on, something more than just Orochimaru appearing during the second test and while he didn't know what he intended to find out post-haste.

* * *

Naruto watched with mounting anger Maya lean back and softly breath in the Hokage's ear making the man swat irritably at some imaginary insect. He knew the damn fox was just doing it to get a reaction out of him, but he couldn't help himself. As she did it again he mouthed 'Stop that!' but Maya simply responded by sticking her tongue out and then continued to bug the Hokage with impunity.

Someone smacked the back of his head. "Are you even paying attention?" Genma, the proctor for the third round, demanded to know. "I'm about to start your match!"

Slowly very slowly Naruto turned away from the kage box towards his opponent, one Hyuga Neji.

The older boy smirked, "Looks like you've got something to say."

With that Neji had successfully brought himself back into the forefront of Naruto's thought processes. Naruto could freely admit the he loathed the older genin. The way had had derided Hinata even though she had been trying her best to better himself. And then that whole talk about fate had really pissed him off. If it was fate that an annoying shameless ramen stealing drunkard of a nine-tailed fox had been sealed into his stomach then fate could go screw itself.

"I'm going to crush you!" Naruto growled pointing his clenched fist at the other genin.

Even though he suddenly had a very very bad feeling about this fight Genma stepped between the two genins and lifted his arm. "And now for the first fight," he brought his arm down. "Begin!"

Neji activated his bloodline shifting into one of the beginning stances of the gentle fist and smirked at the determination visible on Naruto's face. "Hehe, that's what it makes worth while. It'll be fun to watch you fall apart when you discover reality."

Naruto didn't respond, thinking back to a conversation he had barely an hour ago.

"_As you are right now you won't be able to beat the Hyuga boy." Maya told him bluntly. "But," she held one hand up to stop him from interrupting, "you have two things that will allow you to beat him." She extended one finger. "First, you have full access to the Kyuubi's chakra as part of our deal from yesterday."_

"_But you said there is no real Kyuubi that it's all a joke?"_

"_It's true there is no real nine-tailed beast as most people think, but that doesn't matter for now. What matters is, that the red chakra behind the seal is real and it's all yours. In the fight against the Hyuga; use the chakra to make yourself stronger, faster and more durable. He won't expect that and you'll be able to put him on the defense. It is important that you immediately crowd him, make it impossible for to defend himself by normal means. He will then be forced to use the Hyuga ultimate defense._

"_WHAT? He has something like that?"_

"_Judging from what I've seen of him in the preliminaries, yes he has."_

"_But why should I force him to use that? How will I beat him if he uses that ultimate defense crap?"_

"_This ultimate defense works by releasing large amounts of chakra and then spinning like a top, thus repelling thrown weapons and jutsu alike. But it has one glaring deficiency in that, that while he using the defense he can't dodge an attack from above."_

"_So I attack him above?"_

"_No you'll use your second advantage." She leaned forward, the light suddenly casting sinister shadows over her vulpine face. "You'll summon a toad, a very very large toad right on top of him!"_

Taking a deep breath Naruto reached within himself touching the gigantic reservoir of red chakra. Immediately he felt it coursing through his body, flooding him with near incomprehensible strength. He could feel his incisors grow into fangs and saw his fingernails growing longer and sharper into something claw like.

"Here I come!" Naruto growled in an unnaturally deep voice.

Naruto didn't need to form hand-seals, the red chakra was under his complete and utter control. Half a dozen shadow-clones sprung into existence around him with no warning whatsoever; one moment they weren't there the next he was surrounded by six identical copies of himself. Immediately the clones sprung into action, charging Neji with a speed equal to that of Lee without his weights.

Neji completely caught off guard tried to defend against the clones in the normal way by blocking and dodging around their attacks, which while stupendously fast were still rather simple. He dodged one sweeping leg, bend under an incoming fist and then crossed his arms in front of his chest to block another fist.

The impact nearly broke his arm and pushed him back several feet. He didn't have the time to try to shake the numbness out of his arm as the clones were on him immediately. _I have to end this now, or they'll take me apart! _He released his chakra and began the spin. He saw the dark grin on Naruto's face as he bit his thumb a moment too late.

* * *

The audience had thought that the first match would be short. They thought it was a forgone conclusion that the Hyuga prodigy would make short work of the Uzumaki kid. Then the blond did something that made all the ninjas present nervous before attacking with unbelievable ferocity.

Then just as it looked like the young Hyuga would receive one truly magnificent beat-down, something most Konoha residents would pay money for to see, the dark haired boy somehow deflected all punches and kicks thrown his way before he started spinning like top creating a miniature tornado around himself nothing seemed to be able to penetrate.

"That's the Kaiten!" Hyuga Hiashi exclaimed in equal parts surprise and awe. Awe that someone so young and on his own had learned and apparently perfected a technique normally reserved for the main family.

Hanabi, Hiashi's youngest daughter who was sitting next to him in the galleries, wasn't watching her cousin's display of skill but the blond boy everybody had said would loose the match without having a chance. "What's he doing?" She asked her father and pointed at Naruto.

Hiashi followed his daughters pointed finger and saw. He saw the dark grin on Naruto's face. He saw the blood welling from the bitten thumb. He saw and recognized the hand-seals. Hiashi's face lost all color.

"**Ninja Art Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique!" **Came the shout from the arena.

There was a cataclysmic boom and the whole stadium jumped almost three feet into the air.

* * *

Up in the kage box the Kazekage slowly sat back down in his chair after having taking an undignified sprawl on the ground. Looking a the gigantic toad now taking up at least half of the arena's surface, notably the half that Neji had previously occupied, he couldn't help but ask. "Just what exactly are you teaching your genin nowadays Hokage-dono?"

Hiruzen didn't answer. He currently was in the middle of an epiphany. The annoying insect bothering him, Naruto glaring up at the kage box, the blown up apartment and finally using a summing technique designed to fight other summons to defeat a single genin. It all fit. For some reason Konoha's resident kitsune had decided to reappear now after a 13 year hiatus and she seemed to have taken an worrisome interest in young Naruto. Well it was that or Uzumaki Kushina's genes were starting to come through, which was equally worrying.

"I'm getting too old for this kinda crap." The Hokage mumbled.

"What was that, Hokage-dono?" The Kazekage inquired.

"I'm thinking maybe it's time for me to select the Fifth." Hiruzen responded.

Yes, he thought, retirement, this time hopefully permanent, sounded like a very good idea. Especially if Natsume Maya really had returned and what had just happened wasn't some strange genetic quirk Naruto had inherited from his mother. Knowing his luck it was probably both. _Yes, retirement sounds real good. Besides Jiraiya is in town and I have to pay him back for teaching Naruto how to summon._


End file.
